1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to 3D puzzle game devices and 3D puzzle game recording media, and more particularly, to a 3D puzzle game device and a 3D puzzle game recording medium of a type in which the game proceeds as a player takes any predetermined action for a plurality of puzzle elements displayed on a 3D game field spreading across a display screen.
2. Description of the Background Art
The selection of video games appearing until now on the market is pretty much diversified, but can be categorized in terms of similarity in game contents. One of the categories is puzzle games. One of the many TV games falling under this category is, for example, game software named xe2x80x9cPanel de Pon (phonetically written)xe2x80x9d for a video game device xe2x80x9cSuper Family Computerxe2x80x9d which is manufactured, distributed, and was put on the market in the fall of 1995 by the applicant of this application. Hereinafter, the description is made of a conventional puzzle game while referring to xe2x80x9cPanel de Ponxe2x80x9d as a typical example.
In xe2x80x9cPanel de Pon,xe2x80x9d a rectangular game field spreading across a two-dimensional plane is provided for a player to play a game thereon. On the game field, 72 pieces (12 high by 6 wide=72 pieces) of panels can be displayed as objects to be eliminated (hereinafter, referred to as puzzle elements). The player can move the panels displayed on the game field with a cursor. The panels are varied in pattern, and when three or more panels of a pattern become vertically or laterally in line, those panels are eliminated. Panels which have been located above those eliminated panels accordingly drop, and if three or more panels of a pattern become in line thereby, those panels are sequentially eliminated (referred to as chaining). The game field has new panels continuously rising, and therefore the player is required to unceasingly eliminate the panels. When the player fails to eliminate panels quickly enough and the panels reach the top of the game field, the game is over.
Such puzzle games have a variety of types. The puzzle elements are not limited to panels but may be capsules, geometric blocks, characters, or the like. Also, such puzzle elements may drop, or an elimination condition may be different to a degree from that in xe2x80x9cPanel de Ponxe2x80x9d.
In any case, every conventional puzzle game is provided with a game field spreading across a 2D plane. Further, the game field is set to be sufficiently small for a single screen of the television. Therefore, in the conventional puzzle game, the area of the game field displayable on a single screen becomes inevitably smaller, and the number of puzzle elements displayable thereon becomes resultantly less. Consequently, the degree of freedom and the level of variety of a game is impaired.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a puzzle game device in which a game field is up-scaled and accordingly the degree of freedom and the level of variety of a game can be enhanced.
The present invention has the following features to attain the object above.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a three-dimensional puzzle game device in which a game proceeds as a player takes an action predetermined for puzzle elements varied in pattern displayed on a game field spreading across a display screen, the 3D puzzle game device comprising:
a controller which is actuated by the player; and
an image processing part for effecting program processing for a 3D puzzle game in response to actuation of the controller, and then producing image data for the 3D puzzle game for display on a display, wherein
the image processing part comprises:
a 3D game field display control part for producing a 3D game field laterally extending around a tubular subject for display on the display;
a puzzle element display control part for displaying a plurality of puzzle elements varied in pattern on the 3D game field displayed on the display;
a location change part for changing, in response to the actuation of the controller, location of the puzzle elements displayed on the 3D game field;
a 3D game field rotation part for rotating, in response to the actuation of the controller, the 3D game field along with the puzzle elements displayed thereon;
an elimination condition detection part for detecting that the location of the puzzle elements displayed on the 3D game field satisfies a given elimination condition; and
an elimination control part for performing a control in such a manner that the puzzle elements displayed on the 3D game field are eliminated when satisfying the elimination condition.
As described above, in the first aspect, a game field is the 3D game field laterally extended around the tubular subject. Therefore, the degree of freedom and the level of variety of a game are enhanced by the up-scaled game field as compared to the conventional 2D puzzle games. Further, because the game proceeds not only in the front but at the back, the game can be sophisticated with a long-lasting appeal.
In the later-described embodiment, the location of the puzzle elements frozen on the 3D game field is changed in response to the actuation of the controller. During the game, additional puzzle elements are sequentially produced and are displayed on the 3D game field. In this case, those additional puzzle elements are gradually moved to a predetermined direction. The location of the puzzle elements on the move can be changed in response to the actuation of the controller. On the 3D game field, when the puzzle elements of a pattern are in line in a predetermined direction over a fixed number, the elimination condition is detected as being satisfied and thus those panels are eliminated.
The patterns of the puzzle elements are typically distinct from one another by color or design provided thereon. Also, the patterns of the puzzle elements can be varied by shapes thereof, which are structured by plurally combining a minimum unit of shape.
Further, the patterns of the puzzle elements can be varied by lines drawn thereon. If this is the case, when the lines drawn on the puzzle elements on said 3D game field are forming a line going around the 3D game field, the elimination condition is detected as being satisfied and then those panels are eliminated.
A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a recording medium on which a program to be run by the image processing part provided in the 3D puzzle game device as described in the first aspect is recorded. The program realizes an operation environment on the 3D puzzle game device when executed by the image processing part, and comprises: a step of displaying a 3D game field laterally extending around a tubular subject on the display; a step of displaying puzzle elements varied in pattern on the 3D game field; a step of changing, in response to the actuation of the controller, the location of the puzzle elements on the 3D game field; a step of rotating, in response to the actuation of the controller, the 3D game field along with the puzzle elements displayed thereon; a step of detecting the location of the puzzle elements on the 3D game field satisfying a given elimination condition; and a step of performing a control in such a manner that the puzzle elements displayed on the 3D game field are eliminated when satisfying the elimination condition.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.